8 Potential EV and Hybrid Battery Breakthroughs

8 Potential EV and Hybrid Battery Breakthroughs

Today, a mere handful of Tesla Roadsters, Chevy Volts, Nissan Leafs, Fisker Karmas, and Mitsubishi MiEVs have been sold. But in the next few years sales of electric and plug-in hybrid gasoline–electric cars may reach 1 percent of the giant annual new-car market—approximately 150,000 cars. Toyota, the current market leader, sells mostly nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery packs. But many of the newest plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars are powered by lithium-ion batteries, currently considered the best battery technology for range, power, and recharging time. And the upcoming all-electric Prius and RAV4 and the new plug-in hybrid Prius use lithium-ion technology too.

But while lithium-ion technology is a step forward, let's be frank: The battery is still the weak link in the usefulness of these cars compared to existing gasoline and diesel machines. None of the mainstream pure electric cars can travel more than 100 miles at a time, and some far less. Electric powertrains are expensive, costing perhaps 50 percent more than a gasoline equivalent. So what other battery options are coming that might boost range, cut cost, and generally push EVs into the future? Here's a look at new battery techcurrently being developed at universities, government think tanks, and corporations around the country.

Carbon Nanotube Electrode Lithium

Carbon Nanotube Electrode Lithium

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Using layers of carbon nanotubes—strong microscopic hollow threads with relatively large area—scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are developing a cathode (the electrode through which electrons flow out of a battery) that can store and release many more positive ions than a conventional lithium battery. The idea is that this new cathode could increase the amount of power stored in an electric car battery and increase the electricity flow by as much as ten times compared to current products. The development of these new battery cathodes could also enhance solid-state capacitors, or give rise to a combination battery/capacitor that could store and supply much more electricity than either device alone can today.

The nanotubes used in a 2010 MIT demonstration are commercially available, but because of testing and development time, potentially marketable battery/capacitor electrodes are at least five years away. Combined with a typical new car development timetable of five years, it could be a decade before we see these hybrid battery/capacitors on a production EV.